Systems and/or methods for producing synthetic hydrocarbons from biomass

Abstract

Certain exemplary embodiments can provide a system, machine, device, manufacture, circuit, composition of matter, and/or user interface adapted for and/or resulting from, and/or a method and/or machine-readable medium comprising machine-implementable instructions for, activities that can include and/or relate to, converting biomass to synthetic hydrocarbons using a biomass thermal decomposer and/or a hydrocarbon synthesizer.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. A system configured for converting biomass to synthetic hydrocarbons, the system comprising:
 a biomass preparer configured to:
 filter and/or change a particle size, density, and/or dryness of a received biomass provided to the biomass preparer sufficiently for a resulting prepared biomass to have, on average, a maximum dimension between approximately 1 and approximately 10 centimeter, a bulk density between approximately 0.2 and approximately 0.9 kilogram/liter, and/or a dryness between 0 and approximately 30 weight percent; and 
 store a volume of prepared biomass sufficient to operate the biomass thermal decomposer for at least 4 hours at approximately a biomass thermal decomposer nameplate biomass input flow rate; 
 
 a biomass thermal decomposer configured to convert the prepared biomass to a synthesis gas; 
 a synthesis gas cleaner configured to produce cleaned synthesis gas by removing biomass thermal decomposition byproducts from the synthesis gas; 
 an electrolyzer configured to electrolyze water into electrolyzer hydrogen gas (H 2 ) and electrolyzer oxygen gas (O 2 ); 
 a hydrocarbon synthesizer configured to produce synthetic hydrocarbons from the cleaned synthesis gas and the electrolyzer hydrogen gas; 
 an electrical power conditioner configured to store sufficient electrical power selectively received from an electrical power generator and/or an external electrical power source to electrically power:
 the electrolyzer at approximately 20 percent to approximately 100 percent of an electrolyzer nameplate electrical power consumption rate for at least 0.5 hours; 
 the system at approximately 20 percent to approximately 100 percent of a system nameplate synthetic hydrocarbon output flow rate for at least 0.5 hours; and 
 
 a mass and heat integrator configured to store sufficient electrolyzer hydrogen gas to operate the hydrocarbon synthesizer at approximately 20 percent to approximately 100 percent of a hydrocarbon synthesizer nameplate synthetic hydrocarbon output flow rate for at least 0.5 hours. 
 
     
     
       2. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mass and heat integrator is configured to store sufficient electrolyzer oxygen gas for the biomass thermal decomposer to produce the synthetic gas with a nitrogen (N 2 ) concentration of less than 20 volume percent at the biomass thermal decomposer nameplate biomass input flow rate for at least 0.5 hours. 
     
     
       3. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mass and heat integrator is configured to selectively provide electrolyzer hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, and/or synthetic hydrocarbons to the biomass thermal decomposer. 
     
     
       4. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising the electrical power generator, wherein the electrical power generator is configured to supply sufficient exhaust heat to heat the prepared biomass to at least 45 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
       5. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising the electrical power generator, wherein the electrical power generator is configured to supply sufficient exhaust gas to decrease a concentration of the nitrogen (N 2 ) in the prepared biomass to less than 75 volume percent. 
     
     
       6. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mass and heat integrator is configured to preheat the electrolyzer oxygen gas to at least 45 degrees Celsius and supply preheated electrolyzer oxygen gas to the biomass thermal decomposer. 
     
     
       7. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mass and heat integrator is configured to preheat recycle biomass to at least 45 degrees Celsius and to supply the preheated recycle biomass to the biomass thermal decomposer. 
     
     
       8. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mass and heat integrator is configured to provide water received from the hydrocarbon synthesizer to the electrolyzer. 
     
     
       9. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mass and heat integrator is configured to store sufficient water to operate the electrolyzer at approximately 20 percent to approximately 100 percent of the electrolyzer nameplate electrical power consumption rate for at least 0.5 hours. 
     
     
       10. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the mass and heat integrator is configured to store at least 10 kilowatt hours of hydrocarbon synthesis mass byproducts. 
     
     
       11. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to control a ratio of hydrogen (H 2 ) to carbon monoxide (CO) in the synthesis gas to within a range of approximately 1.3 to approximately 2.7. 
     
     
       12. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electrical power conditioner is configured to store sufficient electrical power to operate the electrolyzer at approximately 100 percent of the electrolyzer nameplate electrical power consumption rate for at least 1 hour. 
     
     
       13. The system of  claim 1 , further comprising the electrical power generator, wherein the system is configured to store sufficient prepared biomass, sufficient electrical power, and sufficient electrolyzer hydrogen gas to operate:
 the biomass thermal decomposer at approximately 70 percent to approximately 100 percent of the biomass thermal decomposer nameplate biomass input flow rate over a 2 hour period using electrical power received from only the electrical power generator; and 
 the hydrocarbon synthesizer at approximately 70 percent to approximately 100 percent of the hydrocarbon synthesizer nameplate synthetic hydrocarbon output flow rate over a 2 hour period using electrical power received from only the electrical power generator. 
 
     
     
       14. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the electrolyzer is a solid oxide electrolysis cell and the mass and heat integrator is configured to store sufficient thermal energy to operate the electrolyzer at approximately 20 percent to approximately 100 percent of the electrolyzer nameplate electrical power consumption rate for at least 0.5 hours. 
     
     
       15. The system of  claim 1 , wherein the system is configured to be at least partially controlled via an offsite controller. 
     
     
       16. A method for converting biomass to synthetic hydrocarbons, the method comprising:
 via a biomass preparer:
 filtering and/or changing a particle size, density, and/or dryness of a received biomass provided to the biomass preparer sufficiently for a resulting prepared biomass to have, on average, a maximum dimension between approximately 1 and approximately 10 centimeter, a bulk density between approximately 0.2 and approximately 0.9 kilogram/liter, and/or a dryness between 0 and approximately 30 weight percent; and 
 storing a volume of prepared biomass sufficient to operate the biomass thermal decomposer for at least 4 hours at approximately a biomass thermal decomposer nameplate biomass input flow rate; 
 
 via a biomass thermal decomposer, converting the prepared biomass to a synthesis gas; 
 via a synthesis gas cleaner, producing cleaned synthesis gas by removing biomass thermal decomposition byproducts from the synthesis gas; 
 via an electrolyzer, electrolyzing water into electrolyzer hydrogen gas (H 2 ) and electrolyzer oxygen gas (O 2 ); 
 via a hydrocarbon synthesizer, producing synthetic hydrocarbons from the cleaned synthesis gas and the electrolyzer hydrogen gas; 
 via an electrical power conditioner, storing sufficient electrical power selectively received from an electrical power generator and/or an external electrical power source to electrically power:
 the electrolyzer at approximately 20 percent to approximately 100 percent of an electrolyzer nameplate electrical power consumption rate for at least 0.5 hours; 
 the system at approximately 20 percent to approximately 100 percent of a system nameplate hydrocarbon output flow rate for at least 0.5 hours; and 
 
 via a mass and heat integrator, storing sufficient electrolyzer hydrogen gas provided by the electrolyzer to operate the hydrocarbon synthesizer at approximately 20 percent to approximately 100 percent of a hydrocarbon synthesizer nameplate synthetic hydrocarbon output flow rate for at least 0.5 hours. 
 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising, via the mass and heat integrator, storing sufficient electrolyzer oxygen gas for the biomass thermal decomposer to produce the synthetic gas with a nitrogen (N 2 ) gas concentration of less than 20 volume percent at the biomass thermal decomposer nameplate biomass input flow rate for at least 0.5 hours. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising, via the mass and heat integrator, selectively providing hydrogen gas, carbon dioxide gas, carbon monoxide, and/or synthetic hydrocarbons to the biomass thermal decomposer. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising, supplying sufficient exhaust heat from the electrical power generator to heat the prepared biomass to at least 45 degrees Celsius. 
     
     
       20. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising supplying sufficient exhaust gas from the electrical power generator to decrease the concentration of nitrogen (N 2 ) in the prepared biomass to less than 75 volume percent. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising preheating the electrolyzer oxygen to at least 45 degrees Celsius and supplying the preheated electrolyzer oxygen gas to the biomass thermal decomposer. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising preheating recycle biomass to at least 45 degrees Celsius and supplying the preheated recycle biomass to the biomass thermal decomposer. 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising providing water received from the hydrocarbon synthesizer to the electrolyzer. 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising, via the mass and heat integrator, storing sufficient water to operate the electrolyzer at approximately 20 percent to approximately 100 percent of the electrolyzer nameplate electrical power consumption rate for at least 0.5 hours. 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising, via the mass and heat integrator, storing at least 10 kilowatt hours of hydrocarbon synthesis mass byproducts. 
     
     
       26. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising controlling a ratio of hydrogen (H 2 ) to carbon monoxide (CO) in the synthesis gas to within a range of approximately 1.3 to approximately 2.7. 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising, via the electrical power conditioner, storing sufficient electrical power to operate the electrolyzer at approximately 100 percent of the electrolyzer nameplate electrical power consumption rate for at least 1 hour. 
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising storing sufficient prepared biomass, sufficient electrical power, and sufficient electrolyzer hydrogen gas to operate:
 the biomass thermal decomposer at approximately 70 percent to approximately 100 percent of the biomass thermal decomposer nameplate biomass input flow rate over a 2 hour period using electrical power received from only the electrical power generator; and 
 the hydrocarbon synthesizer at approximately 70 percent to approximately 100 percent of the hydrocarbon synthesizer nameplate synthetic hydrocarbon output flow rate over a 2 hour period using electrical power from only the electrical power generator. 
 
     
     
       29. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising, via the mass and heat integrator, storing sufficient thermal energy to operate the electrolyzer at approximately 20 percent to approximately 100 percent of the electrolyzer nameplate electrical power consumption rate for at least 0.5 hours, wherein the electrolyzer is a solid oxide electrolysis cell. 
     
     
       30. The method of  claim 16 , further comprising at least partially controlling operation of the system via an offsite controller.